Winter Kills
Winter Kills is a fan-made game based on the Marvel Comics character Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier. Contrary to the game's title, this is not an adaptation of the eponymous comic book story. Rather, the game details the various missions Barnes conducted for the KGB in the Cold War while under their control. Winter Kills is a third person tactical shooter that incorporates elements of stealth. Players will take Barnes across the world to a variety of locations, in which he must use the environment around him to kill his targets in any way possible. Plot *Due to the lack of an existing script, the plot below will be a general overview. Not much to say here. Basically, the story is about different global assassinations Bucky performed for the USSR early on during the Cold War. Those missions, some taken straight from Brubaker’s run & expanded upon, will be listed in the missions section. Themes The main theme of this game would be violation of the body, most obviously represented by how Bucky’s not in control of himself or his actions. There's also the irony of how Bucky, the one who suffers the most bodily violation, is also the one harming the most amount of people in the most painful ways. In an instance of ludonarrative harmony, the game's violence would help represent how Bucky is harming people: the game would have bones break, skin tears, and organs rupture in very realistic (though not always gory) fashion. This serves not to come off as tryhard maturity, but as the best visual representation of this idea. Furthering this idea, the cutscenes need to have a very "out of body" vibe to it, almost like you're watching things happen to your body. * At the start of each mission, there should be a scene in which Bucky is removed from cryosleep and forcibly has his mind & memories wiped; these should be like the scene in Civil War, but tailored to suit the M rating I envision for this game. i say at the start of each mission not only to highlight the abuse he suffers, but also to condition players to this pain alongside Bucky: the pain gets number and number each time it happens. Gameplay Overview In Winter Kills, players will take control of the Winter Soldier as he assassinates various political opponents to the KGB. Players can choose one of three broad options when killing their target (each approach has it own pros and cons, but the goal of each mission is the same: to kill the target in as efficient a manner as possible), though how they perform the task within each of the 3 options is up to their choice. Players choose their approach at the start of a mission, but can modify their tactics mid-mission if they so choose. * Taking out targets discreetly in Winter Soldier garb. For examples, players could don their Winter Soldier garb and use long-ranged rifles to snipe a target from a long distance (quickly killing the target, but providing a trajectory for guards to follow). If this approach is chosen, players chose their gear and are dropped off in a discreet location, to make their way to their target. * Posing as an ordinary citizen & killing targets in a discreet manner, like getting close to the target and using concealed weapon (ensuring the target's death, but putting players at extreme risk of discovery). When choosing this approach, players must pick an outfit that helps them blend in as best as possible (accounting for region weather and culture) and are dropped off in a fairly crowded area. You could theoratically take gear from police and military personalle, but this will draw some attention to you, depending on the clothes you chose beforehand; you could still knock out/kill those around you and take their clothes. * Going undercover in a role that’ll get players close to the target & killing them as players desire to do so (allowing ease of access to the target, but requiring incredible patience and prior planning. Players taking this route must choose from a variety of different roles (busboy, lab assisstant, waiter, etc.) that'll get them close to their target, and will have a fake ID crafted for them; those around the player in their fake role are expected to perform their tasks competently, so that must be taken into account. Should it come to it, players can engage in hand to hand combat; he’d fight like his MCU counterpart when under HYDRA’s control. Players are able to implement weapons into the fights, namely their pistols & knifes. Enemy AI is extremely intelligent: if players shoot an enemy from a certain direction, among their first actions will be to shoot in & move towards said direction. Other things they’ll do is block potential escape routes for players, huddle around your assigned targets, & set booby traps for potential assassins. Players will have 4 options of observing the deaths of their primary victims, if they so choose: #Close up shots, mainly used for melee kills like neck snaps. #A tracking method; for example, if Bucky fired a bullet, the camera would follow the bullet as it went from his gun through the target, & then snap back to Bucky when the body drops; this focuses more on external damage to bodies. #An X-ray of their bodies, like in Sniper Elite 4; while that game would zoom in on the bodies, this game would instead focus on the whole body from a wide shot & show internal damage. #Cinematic angles, where players can choose between medium and full shots Ranking System There will be a 5-star reward system similar to Hitman (2016), & rewards players based on factors such as... * Time taken to kill target: faster kills equal higher point. * Lethality of the kill (where they were shot, how many bones broken, etc): the more lethal, the higher points. * Discreteness of this kill, (how obvious the body’s location was, who saw the kill occuring if at all, etc): the more discreet, the higher the points. * Potential evidence left behind (fingerprints, blood, saliva, etc): no evidence means higher points. Equipment A variety of weapons and equipment are provided to players by their handler, each with their own pros and cons. Players must account for ease of concealment (size of weapons, how much noise they make when you walk, etc), damage output, impact on enemy behavior, etc. Categories include... * Handguns: easy to hide and with decent damage dealt, somewhat loud and takes a while to reload (as close to an all-around type). * Melee weapons (knives, garrotes, etc): extremely easy to hide, but not always guaranteed to kill someone. * Explosives (grenades, smoke bombs, etc) effective distractions, but results in enemies blindly shooting and running the risk of players getting shot) * Machine guns: have good damage output, but are loud and take time to reload. * Heavy weaponry: the highest damage output of all groups, but extremely hard to conceal. * Rifles: good for long distance kills, but can be easily tracked to a source based off trajectory. * Special: gear not exclusively used to kill, but more utility based. ** Lockpicks for opening things: easy to carry, but locks must be opened correctly (a minigame here) or enemies will suspect an intruder. ** Corrosives to dissolve any blood or burn through walls: leaves nophysical trace and are effective, but leaves a smell that follows players around and can be detected by chemical sensors in areas and by guards ** Grappling devices: provide fast escapes, but are somewhat loud and a well placed bullet can cut the wire ** Transportation (parachutes, wing harnesses, etc.): Produce no noise and result in fast and effective movement, but are fragile and create a visible shadow ** Poisons used for going undercover: Kills enemies quickly and bloodlessly, but sends guards into high alert if detected Levels The levels incorporates sandbox environments for player exploration, featuring numerous ways to eliminate targets from accidents to scripted "opportunities" which require multiple tasks to complete. Levels should be able to account for abot 400-450 NPCs, all of whom would have various roles and reacting differently to player actions. Players can use the environment & items therein to kill Bucky’s targets in creative ways: this can vary from something simple like shooting an explosive barrel to cause a chain reaction to something as complex as putting pen ink into wine & using it as a makeshift poison. Actions of non-playable characters influence the game :for instance, players can gain more information about their target through listening to civilians, TV programs, etc. Like in the Hitman games, players can use NPC’s & non-targets to their advantage; not just hiding among them to confuse your followers, but also listening to them to gain more info on both the target & your environment. The environment is destructible, something players can use to kill targets (by blowing up a builidng they're in) or cause distractions (using commotion caused by a gas station explosion to distract enemy AI). Collectibles Collectibles in the game tentatively include: *Dossier files on Bucky's missions *News reports about an assassination *Audio files from Cold War-era NATO officials discussing the impact of Bucky's mission on the Cold War *Upon beating the game on its hardest difficulty, players will be able to play a set of missions as Bucky during his days as an advance scout during WWII; these'd would serve to flesh out Bucky as a character, but also show how his time as a child soldier may have scarred him. Missions Examples of possible missions include, but wouldn't be limited to: * A field test where he kills WWII vets on D-Day’s 10th anniversary. Location-Berlin nightclub of moderate size. Date-6/6/1954. * Take out UN diplomats trying to get the USSR to weaken their grip; Location-Downtown Cairo, but they're meeting in a local restaurant. Date-1/29/1955. * Kill a NATO general discussing potential war plans with the leader of West Berlin; Location-Large hotel in West Berlin. Date-5/14/55. * Foil a British attempt at negotiations w/Madripoor on New Year’s Day by killing the former’s ambassador & leaking their plans to its dictator; Location-Madripoor Royal Palace. Date-1/1/56. * Implicate Algeria in the death of a French Defense Minister; Location-Hôtel Matignon, personal residence of the French PM. Date-4/1/1961. * Sour French-Algerian relations by attacking a French peace convoy; Location-The open streets of downtown Tindouf, construction nearby. Date-2/27/1962. * Sabotage an American military base in the Arctic & kill the workers therein; Location-Military installation in Ellsworth Land. Date-12/18/1964. * Aquire critical information a pair of Nazi scientists (escorted by Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan) is attemping to divulge to the US, then dispose of them. Date-3/12/1966 Category:Games